Volunteers Scrapbook Page
1998 National Football Champions
(Unofficial fan site; Neither affiliated with nor endorsed by The University of Tennessee)
This page is dedicated to the
memory of my father, Thomas Hassell Hardin, Class of 1949.
His blood ran
pure orange.
A Personal Scrapbook
My father and I atttended almost every Tennessee football game in the 1960s, '70s, and '80s, and I cherish the memory of both the thrills and the disappointments we shared on those magic Saturday afternoons. Here is just a taste of those experiences from one fan's point of view, plus a few statistics for perspective's sake.
Okay, at first maybe I was more interested in the hot dogs than in the line-up. But that stadium food fascination soon surrendered to pure, unadulterated Volunteer enthusiasm. My sophisticated mother, whose analytical approach to observing football included drawing diagrams of the plays and the positions (as we were sitting in the stands) that rivalled Bill Dyer's famous DyerGrams, sans cartoons of course. She eventually succumbed to the same "Rocky Top" fever that had gripped the rest of us in the family, though the evidence was always somewhat subdued in her case.
As my Dad and I were loudly urging the guys on, singing "Rocky Top," lamenting another dreaded play designed to "establish the running game," or giving each other high fives over Mother's head, she would calmly smile and enjoy the fact that we were enjoying ourselves so much. (At least, I think that's what she was thinking. Hmm..)
The Sixties: "Beat Bama" Heydays
The names from the sixties still have a heroic ring to them: Ron Widby, Dewey Warren, Bubba Wyche, Jack Reynolds, Tim Priest, and many more. I wanted to run alongside every single one of Richmond Flowers' touchdown runs. I had an orange cowboy hat that I wore faithfully (and superstitiously) to the games, and written on the brim were the scores of all the games. When I finally ran out of room on the brim, and cowboy hats fell out of fashion as fan items, the hat was given an unceremonious place in my cedar chest. Years later, I rescued it with a wave of nostalgia.
My most vivid image of Birmingham in 1969 was the postgame victory celebration of Volunteer fans, when a handmade image of "the Bear" was burned in effigy. Yes, it was a little over the top, but it was also a tremendous statement of the respect and awe in which Paul "Bear" Bryant was held that our energies were directed more at the famous coach than at the team. We beat Bama 41-14 that year, the third straight year of victory on the third Saturday in October.
The Seventies: Youthful Enthusiasm and Trick Plays
For the next eleven years after 1970, we failed to win a single game against BAMA. The fans were getting particularly unsportsmanlike at one of those losing games in Birmingham, and I couldn't stand them booing our own team anymore. My orange blood was boiling. I had to do something. Young, idealistic teenager that I was, I actually stood up and shouted to my fellow fans, reminding them that they should be yelling for these guys, not at them. I still can't believe I did it. My father's amazement soon turned to a wry smile -- he was both amused and more than just a little bit bewildered by my brazen act. The fans who heard me suddenly became very quiet, and maybe it's my imagination, but I seem to recall a little less booing and a little more support for our team from that moment on. There were also quite a few strange looks cast my way, and we still lost the game.
More memorable by far than some of those games in the mid-'70s was the day that Coach Bill Battle ended up in the dog house with our mascot Smokey (figuratively, of course), after he tried a trick play -- was it punting on third down (except that it was only the second down)? Oh, well, we had several good years, too, and Coach Battle is such a nice guy. Now a very successful businessman in Collegiate Licensing, one can't help but wonder if he ever thinks back on those days and wonder if it ever really happened. (Especially that trick play!)
The Eighties: Will the Last One Leaving Please Turn Out the Lights?
The time was New Year's, 1985-86. Tennessee gladly took advantage of the opportunity to defend the honor of the Southeastern Conference in the Sugar Bowl. As we were leaving Knoxville for the drive to N'awlins, we saw a sign that kept us laughing most of the way: "Will the last one leaving please turn out the lights?" It seemed as if most of the population of East Tennessee was making a temporary migration southward.
That was just the beginning of what later came to be known in N'awlins as the Tennessee Invasion. The orange-and-white fans far outnumbered the Miami orange-and green fans in the French Quarter. We didn't expect to win, but our contentment at merely participating in the Sugar Bowl was quickly replaced by the pure joy of seeing Miami's famed quarterback, Vinnie Testaverde, spending much of the game on his backside. UT's mid-season replacement quarterback Daryl Dickey marched his troops to a surprising upset victory, 35-7.
The Nineties: A Team of Destiny
The angels were smiling on Tennessee during the last few minutes of the Arkansas game in 1998. Arkansas outplayed us throughout most of the rainy, overcast game. Tennessee rallied in the second half as the weather improved, but it didn't look as if it would be enough. Arkansas had possession and time on their side. Then a miracle happened. Their quarterback tripped, the ball came loose, and Tennessee took advantage with a game-winning touchdown. There must be an angel or two wearing orange. Tennessee completed the season undefeated and won the first official National Championship bowl game on January 4, 1999 at the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona.
The Sign of the "T"
Seeing our guys in orange running through the "T" formed by the Pride of the Southland's Marching Band at the start of each home game is a comforting sight, although for the life of me I cannot articulate exactly why. Perhaps it just symbolizes the excitement and anticipation of another magical afternoon to remember, and a few melodic tones from the Voice of the Vols, John Ward, as he used to declare, "Give him six!." Thanks for all the memories, and most of all, for making my father so deliriously happy, so very often.
Volunteer Trivia
- In 1926, General (then Captain) Robert R. Neyland supervised the expansion of the football stadium to a total seating capacity of 6800. People, that is. Seventy years and several add-ons later, the stadium now averages attendance of over 100,000.
- The term "Big Orange Country" was first used circa 1964 by then UT basketball coach Ray Mears to help promote the team. It gradually became associated with football and other sports over the next few years. Basketball... big orange... Wouldn't you like to have been there when the phrase was first inspired?
- The song "Rocky Top" by Boudleaux and Felice Bryant was written in 1967 and first played by the UT band in 1972 at the Alabama game. It became the official song of Tennessee by Chapter 545 of the Public Acts of 1982.
- In 1968, Lester McClain became the first black player to suit up for a varsity football game in the Southeastern Conference. The suit he wore was orange and white.
